Skin is composed of three layers: the epidermis, or outermost layer; the dermis, or middle layer; and the subcutis, or basement layer.  The dermis contains collagen, elastin, and other fibers that support the skin’s structure.  It is these elements that give skin its smooth and youthful appearance – and that are damaged by UV radiation (UVR).

The UVR that affects the skin is composed of two different types of waves, UVA and UVB.  When UVR hits the skin, cells in the dermis scramble to produce melanin to the epidermis.  This is the process that gives you a tan, which is really just your skin attempting to block the radiation from penetrating your skin.

Photo Aging

UVB rays are shorter than UVA rays, and are the main culprit behind sunburn.  But it is the UVA rays, with their longer wavelength, that are responsible for much of the damage we associate with photoaging.  UVA rays penetrate deep into the dermis, where they damage the collagen fibers.  This damage causes increased production of abnormal elastin.  The unusual amounts of elastin result in the production of enzymes called metalloproteinases.  These enzymes, which rebuild damaged collagen, often malfunction and degrade the collagen, resulting in incorrectly rebuilt skin.  As this process is repeated with daily UVA exposure, the incorrectly rebuilt skin forms wrinkles, and the depleted collagen results in leathery skin.

Skin Cancer Fact

Repeated sun exposure can also cause what are commonly called age spots, or liver spots.  They don’t have anything to do with your liver, but have everything to do with sun.  An ‘age spot’ is actually a solar lentigo – a small bit of pigmentation caused by sun exposure.  Age spots are usually found on the hands, arms, and face, and on the back in men.

Ultraviolet

The best way to combat photoaging is through prevention.  Daily application of sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher to areas vulnerable to photoaging will not only help prevent photo-aging, but can reverse some of the signs you might already have.  And reducing your exposure to UV radiation will lower your risk of developing skin cancer or precancer.

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Main Article: Skin Cancer Fact

If you choosing sun protective clothing; choose the one that its fabrics have been specially treated with chemical UV absorbers, known as colorless dyes. This kind of fabric able to block both UVB and UVA rays. A number of manufacturers are now making special sun-protective clothing that has been treated with a chemical sun-block during the manufacturing process. In addition, they use fabrics of the weave and colors that provide protection best. The garments are designed to cover as much of the skin as possible.

New standards for sun-protective fabrics in the US were unveiled in January, 2001. UPF is similar to SPF, in that they both measure protection.

Clothes can only labeled as sun protective clothing if it has a UPF of 15-50+. Clothes that are marketed with a sun-protective claim are usually UPF 50+. Also, like regular clothing, sun-protective clothing may lose its effectiveness if pulled too tight or stretched out, if it becomes damp or wet, or if it is washed and worn repeatedly.

Mineral makeup can be the answer other than sunscreen

Mineral makeup can offer sun protection since mineral makeup has titanium dioxide and/or zinc oxide in it and these are the keys to the sun protection. These inorganic, insoluble minerals are considered “physical sunscreens,” and they work by reflecting the sun’s ultraviolet radiation (UVR) away from the skin, as opposed to chemical/organic sunscreens, which absorb rather than reflect UVR.

Mineral makeup is a good choice if you go out for a short time, and it can use without a separate sunscreen. This can be done if the makeup’s SPF is at least 15. But if you are want to stay outside longer. You can enhance your protection by layered over sunscreen products. The powder that applied on top of the sunscreen more likely catch any spots you may have missed.

When you’re planning to stay out in the sun for longer than 15 minutes, “Mineral makeup with SPF can enhance your protection if layered over a sunscreen product,” explains Leslie Baumann, MD, Director of the Cosmetic Dermatology division at Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami. The powder, applied on top of sunscreen, will probably catch any spots you may have missed.

Clothes of course can protect your skin against the sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays. But norm clothing is not fully protecting you from sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays. So, the statement you might heard about all clothing created equal is totally wrong.

All sun protective clothing is different than norm clothes. The tightness of the weave, the weight, type of fiber, color and amount of skin covered all affect the amount of protection they provide are different than normal clothes.

UPF in sun protecting clothing is that make it totally different than any norm clothes. UPF indicates how much of the sun’s UV radiation is absorbed. For example, a fabric with a rating of 50 will allow only 1/50th of the sun’s UV rays to pass through. This means the fabric will reduce your skin’s UV radiation exposure significantly, because only 2 percent of the UV rays will get through.

Sun Protective Clothing Born in Australia to Adjunct Sunscreen

Sun protective clothing was used for the first time and popularized in Australia. In this country, sun protective clothing is use as an option or adjunct to sunscreen lotions and sunblock creams.

In Australia, sun protective clothing and UV protective fabrics has to follow a lab testing procedure before launched to market. This testing procedure regulated by Australia federal agency called ARPANSA. Sun protective clothing and UV protective fabrics first time established in 1996 after work by Australian swimwear companies.

British also shows interest in sun protective clothing and UV protective fabrics, and they form the basis of the British Standards Institute standard called NRPB (National Radiological Protection Board). The British standard was established in 1998.

Using the Australian sun protective clothing and UV protective method as a model, the USA sun protective clothing and UV protective fabrics standard was formally established in 2001, and now employs a more stringent testing protocol: This method includes fabric longevity, abrasions/wear and wash ability. (To date, the focus for sun protection is swimwear, appropriate hats, shade devices and sunglasses for children.) UPF testing is now very widely used on clothing used for outdoor activities.

Protecting Our Children from the sun is one of the best way to prevent skin cancer in the future.

Parents need an extra attention to their children. Children need extra protection from the sun as their skin is very susceptible to damage. One or two blistering sunburns before the age of 18 dramatically increase the risk of skin cancer. Skin cancer is related not only to total lifetime sun exposure, but also to a history of sunburn, especially during childhood and adolescence. Encourage children to play in the shade, wear protective clothing and apply sunscreen regularly.

Sun safety tips for children basically not too different, but some of them need more attention:

• Babies under 1 year of age should stay out of the sun. Always cover baby’s head with a hat. Use light colored and lightweight clothing.
• Use sunscreen with a SPF of at least 15. Do not use a sunscreen with a SPF of more than 4 on babies under 6 months old due to the possibility that the baby’s skin could absorb the chemical and his or her system could not eliminate it.
• Use extra caution around reflective surfaces.

Everyone loves the sun, especially when summer. But don’t forget that your life may endanger by the sun itself. Knowing about sun safety will reduce the risk of getting disease caused by the sun. One of disease caused by sun is skin cancer. In United States, skin cancer in top rank of cancer, and over 1 million people will get skin cancer this year. It’s absolutely a bad news. But you don’t need to worry too much, since we can prevent skin cancer.

90% of skin cancer caused by exposure of sun’s UV. So, it includes in sun safety tips. Since, if we know and do sun safety, you more likely will safe from skin cancer. Reducing UV exposure not only makes you able avoiding skin cancer, but also helps preventing wrinkle and dark spots on the skin (photoaging).

Minimize UV exposure is a way to prevent skin cancer. But, it doesn’t mean that you have to never get contact with sun rays. Sun also have benefit in making vitamin D production in our body and improved your mood.

These are sun safety tips that mainly need you do in your daily life. These are thing including in Sun safety:

1. Avoid being in the sun between 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. this is the time when sun’s rays is in its peak.
2. Although you in closed place, Be aware that you can get an extra dose of UV when you’re around surfaces that reflect light including water, sand, and snow. If reflected, UV intensively will increase.
3. Clouds and particulate matter in the air scatter sunlight. Therefore, you may receive”surprise sunburn” even on a cloudy day.
4. Use a broad spectrum sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher for every single day. Broad-spectrum sunscreens block UVA and UVB. Apply the sunscreen correctly and don’t forget to reapply it. Especially after swimming, perspiring heavily or drying off with a towel.
5. When you put some cloth, choose cloth that Protect your face and neck, or  wearing a wide-brimmed hat with at least a 4-inch brim all the way around or a 4-inch brim in front with a neck flap in back.
6. Wear loose-fitting clothes with a tight weave that cover as much of your body as possible.
7. Your eyes also need protection. Wear sunglasses that able to block UVA and UVB.
8. When you want to go out, don’t forget to check UV index.
9. Be careful when using medication and cosmetics.
   Some medication have side effect that increasing your skin sensitivity and increase susceptibility to sunburn because they contain substances that cause the skin to absorb more of the sun’s radiation. These “photosensitivity reactions” may also be caused by birth control pills. Consult with you doctor about medications that can cause problems in the sun.
10. This is the most important. DON’T use tanning beds. There is NO safe way to get a tan.

REMEMBER

Do not rely on sunscreen alone to protect your skin. To get a perfect sun safety, you have to use a combination of all these tips. Exposure to UV radiation not only causes sunburn and increases your risk of developing skin cancer, but it can also prematurely age your skin. So if you stay out of the sun you can lessen the development of wrinkles!

Wouldn’t it be nice to have people think you look younger than you really are? Wouldn’t it be great to not have to go through the worry of having skin cancer? It’s not too late to start being safe in the sun.

1. Skin type,
2. The time of year,
3. And the amount of sun exposure the person has recently received.

Sun affect in different ways to a different skin type:

• Skin type I
  Sensitive to exposure, never tans, always burn.
• Skin type II
  Burns easily, tan minimally.
• Skin Type III
  Burns moderately, tan regularly to light brown.
• Skin type IV
  Burns minimally, always tan to moderate brown.
• Skin type V
  Always Burns, tan profusely to brown.
• Skin type VI
  Never burns pigmented deeply, least sensitive.

It doesn’t matter whether you’ve tanned or been burned before, it’s better late than not at all. Sunscreens protect your skin from UV rays and they are classified according to the Sun Protection Factor (SPF). A sunscreen with SPF 4 blocks out 75% of the burning UV rays, while an SPF 15 blocks out 93% of the burning UV rays; an SPF 30 blocks out 97% of the burning UV rays.

Always use sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of 15 or greater. For best results, apply sunscreen about 30 minutes before going outside to allow it time to bond with your skin. In addition to protecting you from overexposure to sunlight, sunscreens also help to prevent other problems related to sun exposure including aging skin and precancerous growths.

Sunscreen in old days cannot dissipate the energy of the excited state as efficiently as melanin and therefore the penetration of these sunscreen ingredients into the lower layers of the skin may increase the amount of free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS). In recent years, improved filtering substances have come into use in commercial sunscreen lotions that don’t significantly degrade or lose their capacity to protect the skin as the exposure time increases (photostable substances).

Sunscreen prevents the direct DNA damage which causes sunburn. Most of these products contain an SPF rating to show how well they block Ultraviolet B (UVB) rays. The SPF rating, however, offers no data about Ultraviolet A (UVA) protection. In the US, the Food and Drug Administration is considering adding a star rating system to show Ultraviolet A (UVA) protection. A similar system is already used in some European countries.

Some sunscreen lotions now include compounds such as titanium dioxide which helps protect against Ultraviolet A (UVA) rays. Other Ultraviolet A (UVA) blocking compounds found in sunscreen include zinc oxide and avobenzone. Cantaloupe extract, rich in the compound superoxide dismutase (SOD), can be bound with gliadin to form glisodin, an orally-effective protectant against Ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation. There are also naturally occurring compounds found in rainforest plants that have been known to protect the skin from ultraviolet (UV) radiation damage, such as the fern Phlebodium aureum.

Ultraviolet can be divided into three types, based on its wavelength.

1. Ultraviolet A (UVA)
   Long wave ultraviolet which divided into two wave range, UVA I which has Wavelength range 340-400 nanometers and UV II which has Wavelength range 320-400 nanometers.
2. Ultraviolet B (UVB)
   Medium wave ultraviolet which has Wavelength range 280-320 nanometers.
3. Ultraviolet C (UVC)
   Short waver ultraviolet which has wavelength range 100-280 nanometers. Most of UVC is absorbed by the ozone layer and does not reach the earth.

However, both Ultraviolet A (UVA) and Ultraviolet B (UVB) able to penetrate the atmosphere. Most people are aware of the effects of UV through the painful condition of sunburn, but the UV spectrum has many other effects, both beneficial and damaging, on human health. Such as, both Ultraviolet A (UVA) and Ultraviolet B (UVB) plays an important role in conditions such as premature skin aging, eye damage (including cataracts), and skin cancers. They also suppress the immune system, reducing your ability to fight off these and other maladies.

Most people are aware of the effects of Ultraviolet (UV) through the painful condition of sunburn, but the ultraviolet (UV) spectrum has many other effects, both beneficial and damaging, on human health.

see also:
Don’t forget sunscreen
Sun protective clothing
Serious warning of skin cancer
Melanoma
Basal cell carcinoma